The softer side of Laxus
by FantasticNic
Summary: An OOC Laxus makes a move on Juvia when she and Gray seem to be going nowhere. First attempt, rating T just in case for future. No honorifics.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I am a massive Gruvia shipper, but I kind of love the stories I have come across with Juvia and others, so I decided to type out an idea. This is my first attempt at anything like this, pretty nervous about publishing anything.**

Juvia sat watching Grey as usual, she wondered how much longer they could go without speaking, since he lost his temper and yelled at her in front of the guild. They had gone to dinner a few times, but now Juvia wondered if they could even say they were together, it hadn't been that long and they never talked about where they were going with it. She slid her gaze around the guild hall and saw that everyone was in their own little world, Gajeel and Levy murmuring about baby names for their impending arrival. Natsu and Lucy bickering playfully about who steals the blankets at night, and Erza thoughtfully writing what Juvia could only assume was a love letter to a certain blue haired man. What was she supposed to do? She didn't even know who to talk to anymore since Mira was so stuck on Juvia and Grey reconciling, those conversations just ended up painful and Juvia didn't want to bring on a drizzle, not today.

Juvia slowly lifted herself from her seat and began her trek back to Fairy Hills, figuring a long bath and a good book would be a better way to spend her day when suddenly she felt a strong heavy hand clamp her shoulder as the passed through the doors outside. She turned in shock to see Laxus with a furrow on his brow, he looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "Hey, wanna get out of here? I'd like to talk at you for a few minutes."

Juvia thought for a moment before figuring she should listen to whatever Laxus had to say, and nodded with a meek smile. He turned to walk toward his home and placed his hand on her back as he thanked her for coming along. Juvia stumbled slightly with the strange pressure on her back as she walked next to Laxus, she heard him make slight grunt as he pointed toward the door of what must have been his home, although she had never been there before she felt a distinct vibe about the place that felt like him.

Once he unlocked the door and pushed it open he motioned toward a large black sofa and she made her way to the far side and sunk in the squishy cushion, Laxus sat beside her and cleared his throat before looking at her. "I just realized how strange it must be for me to have led you all the way over here without telling you what was going on, damn, no wonder you look on edge."

Juvia chucked softly and gave him a reassuring smile, "I trust you have your reasons, Laxus. What's on your mind?" There was an awkward silence and she watched him shuffle his legs a bit before he placed his hands on his knees. If she didn't know better she would think that he was wiping sweat from his palms…but why would he be so nervous?

"I guess this seems kind of forward but I wondered, are you really done chasing after that bonehead Grey?" he blurted.

Juvia let out a sigh before answering "I am not sure what to do anymore Laxus, Grey simply doesn't seem to want to let me in, I am tired of feeling like I am going to spend my whole life watching him push me away while everyone else finds someone to hold them dear." she seemed so hurt.

The tension in the room was thick, and Laxus spoke again, "Well, I only asked because I thought that….maybe…I don't know, you might want to do something with me."Juvia swore she could hear her pulse stutter as she processed what just happened, was Laxus asking her out? He then seemed to have a barrier break as words poured out, " I just mean that I have been kind of interested before, but being such a jerk I never thought I should even try, but the more I saw you I realized you are a strong mage and you can handle just about anything, so why not make a move? You have changed a lot since Phantom, and hell, I have changed a lot since you met me, so why not give it a shot?"

Juvia pondered over what he said for a moment before having the thought _Why not_ after all she hadn't even tried to date anyone else, just followed Grey and gave him all of her attention without any sign of reciprocation. So as the words bubbled up she hardly believed she was saying it "Okay, let's give it a shot." She saw a quick smirk flash across his face.

"Great, well how about we meet over at the guild around seven and I can take you somewhere I think you'd like a lot." Juvia felt a tinge of pink grace her cheeks as she nodded "Definitely, I have a few things to do before then, so I should probably head out, but I will see you soon." Laxus walked her to the door way and they locked eyes for a moment before saying goodbye and Juvia headed toward her own place to figure out what she was going to wear.

**That evening outside the guild**

Juvia walked toward the door nervously, she had spent the afternoon taking a perfumed bubble bath and styling her hair in loose curls, she wore a knee length black skirt with a soft blue sweater and some tall black boots. Since she was unsure of what they would be doing she tried to dress comfortably but still look nice. She timidly pushed the door open and few sets of eyes looked her way, as she took a few steps inside she noticed Lucy sit up straight and nudge Natsu, who of course didn't get what he was supposed to be looking at, but due to his actions caused Grey to glance over and peer at Juvia. Laxus had been at the bar but was now strolling toward her wearing black pants and a dark gray button front shirt, "are you ready" he asked and as Juvia nodded they turned and headed out the door with his hand gently on her back and bewildered stares left in their wake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews.**  
 **This chapter is kind of fluffy, but I need to take things a certain direction for my story line to work out. Be patient with me, there will be times I can write a lot and other times I can not, I will try to update again soon.**

Juvia felt herself blush as she and Laxus walked through town, they were so close that she could feel a warmth radiating from his body. He guided her to a small, steep path near a wooded area and stepped ahead of her to steady her as she made her way up the hill, after a few minutes she stood on the sharp drop of a cliff and Laxus looked out across the water below. "This is just someplace I come when I want to get out of the guild for a while, but I thought you would like it because of something I discovered when it was storming."

He lifted his arm and pointed off into the distance, Juvia focused her eyes on the spot he indicated and saw that this wasn't just a cliff, the edge wrapped around to a crescent shape, and there appeared to be something on the other side almost directly across from where they stood. Laxus took a stance that Juvia was familiar with, he was using magic but she didn't know why. Suddenly he released the power he had been building into the sky and arcs of lighting flickered repeatedly into the point cross the cove, it was beautiful as it spidered on points she couldn't quite see, almost mesmerizing as it created a light show unlike anything she had seen before. "Back when Gramps kicked me out of the guild I ended up here, I was so pissed I sent a massive storm off the cliff, didn't know it at the time but the pyro destroyed an old metal bridge over there, turns out it can make a pretty cool lightening rod. Don't go telling that metal head friend of yours though, he'd probably eat it."

Juvia was amazed that Laxus had shared something like this with her. She had never heard any stories from during the expulsion from the guild, and frankly she didn't know anyone brave enough to ask to hear them. She found herself looking thoughtfully at Laxus wondering what else she didn't know about him, his eyes flicked over to see her head tilted slightly to the side and a very sincere smile gracing her lips, it was in that moment that he pulled her closer, pressing her back against his chest and whispering in her ear, "the stars are coming out, how about we make a little fire and hang out here for a while" he felt the immediate nod of her head under his chin and he got to work on the fire.

Before long Laxus sat against a tree with juvia sitting between his legs laying with her back against his chest. The two were trying their best to remember the names of the constellations, and swapping tales, some of bad times as rivals of Fairy Tail and others of much better times. Juvia spoke up about a question that had been circling her brain for a while, "Why did you ask me out, and bring me here, and well….why me?"

She felt him tense for a moment before relaxing again and replying, "You came here from a bad place in your life, and somehow you have turned all that past negativity into happiness. You are one of the strongest mages I have encountered, and you are of course beautiful. Who wouldn't want that combo in their life?" he let out a chuckle, "not long after I came back I thought about taking you out, but of course we know who you were interested in then, so I waited. Figured you'd either get with the bonehead or lose interest." There was a short pause and the question escaped his lips, "So why'd you come?"

Juvia shifted slightly so she could look at him, she could see something in his eyes that resembled regret, maybe he was worried about what her answer would be. "Laxus, I honestly don't know, there's something about the way you asked me that made me curious, I had to see for myself what you are like, because all I really have to go on is what I see in the guild and I am starting to think that is not how you really are. I like what I have seen tonight, and I want to see more." She quickly added, "that is to say if you want me to."

Without a moment of hesitation Laxus managed to slide Juvia up onto his lap and turn her to face him, fingers snaked into her hair and he pressed his lips to hers, within seconds the kiss grew in intensity and Juvia was reminded of the lightening they had watched earlier, she could feel their energy arcing between their bodies. When he pulled back there was a blush spread across both their faces, and a smile on Juvia's lips that made Laxus glad he had succumbed to the urge.

They dusted the nature from their clothes and took a minute to gather themselves while looking out at the sky and sea once again before taking each other's hand and making their way back down to town. The walk back to Fairy Hills was too quick for Juvia's taste, she wanted to walk around all night just as they were, but before she knew it she stood at the gate and felt the hand slip from hers.

Laxus cleared his throat and pulled her gaze to his, he quickly leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss that may have been a bit much for passersby as they tried to ignore the mages moment. He finally withdrew and slyly said a quick "Goodnight, see you tomorrow" before jogging off the direction of his place. Juvia stood transfixed for a moment before turning to see a shocked Cana and a beet red Levy around the corner.

Juvia realized she had some girl talk in her future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, thanks for the reviews. I was busy with a local trunk or treat (I dressed as Juvia of course) and somehow still managed to get a bit of writing done. I have set moments I am trying to hit on in each chapter since I already have a story line in my head. So this may be short-ish but I got my moment in that I need for the next chapter.**

The next morning Juvia woke with an overwhelmingly optimistic feeling, the sun was peeking through her curtains and she was ready to start the day. After her usual morning routine she practically skipped to the guild and burst through the doors with a cheerful "Good morning, everyone!" She sat at the bar and smiled brightly at Mira, "Good Morning, Mira, can I get a tea please?"

"Your smile is just lovely today Juvia, coming right up." Mira lingered for a moment when she placed the cup down and gave a knowing look as she asked, "how was your night, I hear you went out."

A blush filtered across Juvia's face as she noticed Cana leaning closer, waiting for details no doubt. "I had a wonderful evening, thank you for asking." She said while her face turned scarlet. She fidgeted in her seat briefly and paused when she heard the sound of boots on stairs, Mira and Cana's eyes flicked up to see Laxus coming down from his perch upstairs. Juvia suddenly felt butterflies and fought the urge to just get up and walk away, she had no idea what to expect when he got down here. Would he ignore her? Come over to talk? Her palms grew clammy, she suddenly realized that she was not a fan of the unknown, and everyone was waiting to see what was going to happen with eyes on her, she could feel the weight of their stares. A dark shadow engulfed Juvia, she started to turn but instead she felt Laxus lower himself down and plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

"I'm goin in to talk to Gramps. See you later." He said as he walked back to the master's office. Both Mira and Cana were practically shaking in glee while Juvia just stuggled to keep her composure. The butterflies were definitely active now. She spun in her seat to go out and get some air when she was practically nose to nose with a shocked looking Gray, He mouthed something but no sound really came out, so he glanced at the floor and walked off.

"JUVIA!" her name was so loud the glasses rattled behind the bar. "PLEASE COME TO MY OFFICE." The master's voice called. Juvia felt every ounce of color drain from her face before being replaced with a blush once more. This was turning out to be a very embarrassing day. She made her way to see Master Makarov, she knocked lightly on the door and it flung open and Makarov gestured for her to have a seat in the chair next to Laxus. "Good Morning Juvia, I am sorry to call you in here like this but I am in need of a favor from you."

"A favor from me…" she asked warily. What did the master possibly need from her? "okay, what can I do for you?" she cautiously inquired.

"You see we are in a shortage here lately of S Class wizards. I am wondering if you would accompany Laxus on a very important S Class job assignment, I thought we were going to be unable to fulfil it until Erza returned but Laxus pointed out that you are a former S Class mage, albeit from another guild." Makarov explained. "Due to our current predicament sending a former S Class is better than not having enough to take on this job."

"Pardon my curiosity but what about Mira?" Juvia asked. There had to be more options than sending her.

"Mira is currently not taking jobs, especially dangerous ones." Master explained. Juvia began to wonder if the rumors of Mira being pregnant were true, but that was an issue for another time. " Guildarts is out as usual, Erza is out on a lengthy mission for the Magic Council, and of course our Mystogan is not exactly Mystogan." The master said with a wink. "There is a concerning sighting of Ivan," he stated, "Rumors are circulating about his plot to gain power once more and the council is reaching out to guilds with S Class mages to aid in the investigation and capture of Ivan before anything comes to fruition."

Juvia felt sick, she knew that this was not only a serious matter, but a very personal one for both Laxus and the master. Could she really help Laxus capture his own father, but then again how could she not step in and help the guild who always helped her? "Okay. I will help, when do we leave?"

"Tonight." Laxus spoke up. "Pack some things, I don't know how long this will take so lets try to be prepared for anything." We can meet back here later to collect all the details before we hit the train station."

With a quick nod Juvia exited the room and headed through the guild hall, a few puzzled looks were traded before she swiftly headed out toward her dorm. She packed and prepared as best she could with the small amount of information they had received thus far, and after a few hours of pacing and trying to relax she headed back toward the guild.

"WHAT THE HELL GRAMPS?!" Natsu shouted above the chaos in the guild. "WHAT ABOUT ME?"

Juvia looked around to see just about every member present in the guild hall and quite a bit of commotion. "What is going on?" She asked Mira.

"Oh, Juvia, hello." She smiled meekly. "There seems to be a bit of backlash about the master's decision to send you out on an S Class mission." Juvia's stomach turned. This was all because of her?

"LISTEN UP YOU BRATS!" Makarov's voice echoed through the chaos and the commotion died into silence. "This was a decision I made with my back against the wall, maybe one of you could have helped if you could manage to pass the S Class exams. Juvia is the only one here that has actually been an S Class mage, and with Mira refusing the job for personal reasons Juvia is our only option to accompany Laxus." He took a breath and glared around the room "Now as I stated before this whole fit broke out, this has nothing to do with any relationships that may be between Laxus and Juvia, and frankly I am angry that any of you would think I would pull favoritism like that." He retreated into his office with the loud slam of his door.

Laxus seemed to pop out of nowhere, Juvia assumed he must have been upstairs to keep his temper out of the fray downstairs. He had a stern look on his face as he approached Juvia and muttered, "Let's get out of here before this starts back up and I put the pyro through a wall." He pulled Juvia out the door by her hand and they began the trip to the train station.

Once tickets had been purchased and they had boarded the train, Laxus seemed very pensive. "This is some shitty timing, huh?" he shook his head. "Figures that this would be dissected and torn to hell the second the guild got wind of it. Sorry, I really wasn't thinking about _**us**_ when I suggested you help." A few deep sighs later Laxus reached over and pulled Juvia close under his arm. "I better get my hug in before this train moves and I end up miserable and sick, dragon slayers get to be strong in battle but weak to motion? Sick joke." He chuckled softly as the train began to move. Juvia pulled his head into her lap and rubbed his hair for a while before he dozed off looking slightly green, he sure held it together better than Natsu. Juvia pulled out the small file of papers she was given about the job and began to research as she absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down the sleeping dragon slayer's back.


	4. Chapter 4

**note: I have been busy, and fighting this chapter a bit, what I had planned and how it came out while I was in a flow are very different. I had to take some time to think about what direction I liked better.**

The train pulled into the station after what seemed like an eternity. Juvia gently woke Laxus while whispering, "We're here." As they stood and stretched Laxus cast an adoring look her way and gave her a gentle smirk before pulling her in for a hug. He grabbed up their bags and they stepped from the train into the darkness, "it's so late, I wonder if the inn is close, because I could use a hot cup of tea and a warm bath." Juvia meant every word she said as her muscles ached from sitting in the same position for the entire train ride.

Laxus stepped to the station window and asked the worker if they could point him in the direction of the inn as Juvia glanced around the small town, neither of them had been here other than passing through on train, so she attempted to get her bearings and see where everything was. She spied a small café and a bookstore just down from the train station and the sign for a clothing store peeked from the end of the cross street. Laxus walked back to Juvia and gave her the simple directions to the inn and they headed down the gently sloping street. Within ten minutes they arrived at a brick building with large floral bushes all around the perimeter, a hanging wooden sign stated that it was called the Harty Family Inn. When stepping inside they were immediately greeted by a tall, thin blonde woman who announced that she was the innkeeper Ms. Harty and she grabbed up a key for a room.

The room they were given was incredibly tiny, a queen bed and a rickety inn table were against one wall while a dresser was on the opposite side, the bathroom was barely big enough to fit two people standing in the space between fixtures. Laxus gave a sincere thank you and took the small stack of towels and box of muffins the innkeeper offered. He listened as the woman explained that there was a kitchenette down the hall with basics if they needed anything.

Once the door clicked closed the room was too quiet. Laxus broke the silence by flopping on the bed with a playful look in his eyes, he lightly tossed a pillow knocking the hat from atop Juvia's head. He was rewarded with a giggle as she grabbed up the pillow and threw it back smacking him in the chest. After a few moments of carefree nonsense Laxus leapt forward and snatched Juvia from her feet and pulled her onto the disheveled bed and brushed the hair from her face. They stared into each other's eyes smiling and panting from the pillow fight, lips met with eagerness and a fire spread through Laxus that caused him to pull back despite his body wanting more. Clearing his throat, he snickered, "We'll get ourselves into trouble that way."

Juvia radiated heat from her cheeks as she gathered a few items and ducked into the bathroom to freshen up. She mentally scolded herself for letting herself get sidetracked on what was supposed to be a very serious job, she was here as a stand-in as an S Class and she should act accordingly. The whimsical romantic side of her head, or heart as it were, simply replayed the kiss over and over in her head causing flutters in her heart and a permanent smile to plaster on her face.

Laxus lay on the bed smirking, he never thought he'd get this far. He had played with the idea of asking Juvia out for almost a year. He had watched her from his seat on the second floor, she would flit around the guild talking with Gajeel and Levy, then having tea at the bar, always looking so beautiful and cheery. Then, every time it seemed that she could not shine any brighter Gray would come in and refuse whatever gift she had made him, or shun the compliments she would shower on him, all the while being somehow unaffected by the pain in her eyes as he tore her affections apart. Laxus fought the urge so many times to go down and knock the ice mage's teeth down his throat, but what would that solve?

Now, instead of watching from afar he held her in his arms, she comforted his motion sickness on the train, and then most rewarding off all he kissed her as he always wanted to. But the inkling of impending danger on this job kept him from fully enjoying things, as much as he wanted her here by his side he also worried about what Ivan was planning and what he was capable of.

A cloud of steam released from the bathroom as the door opened and all the thoughts of danger floated away as he saw Juvia walk out with her wavy hair damp and hanging loose, a large shirt and tiny shorts covered her body but somehow made her curves very apparent. She dropped her bathroom items into her bag and crawled onto the bed next to Laxus and settled against him with a content sigh. Laxus felt a rush as he threw the blanket over her and let her drift to sleep, all the while fighting the urge to touch her in all the places his hands were drawn to. Somehow sleep came for him as well, and he night drifted into day.

The next morning Laxus awoke with a beautiful bluenette using him as a pillow and his arms were wrapped securely around her body. He inhaled her scent and committed it to memory, he made a mental note to do this again sometime when they didn't have a job to do. He then decided to wake Juvia up the best way he could think of and began pressing his lips against her head, he face, her neck, and her lips. She made a soft moaning sound as she pressed against the kiss on her lips and pushed her hands up through his hair. "Good morning bright eyes, time to get moving," he whispered to her.

After getting dressed and packing up for the day they headed out with the intention of finding someone local that had seen Ivan, but they needed to grab some breakfast first, luckily Juvia noticed the café when they first arrived and it turned out that there was a large amount of foot traffic near the outdoor seating. Figuring this was the best place to scout for people while coming up with a plan they grabbed some food and sat at the table closest to a low wall bordering the walkway.

Laxus made a bit of small talk to pass the time and help them appear more natural while watching the passersby. He told Juvia about the little known relationship gang he seemed to be caught up in, it turned out that all three members of the Thunder God Tribe were seeing the Strauss siblings. Evergreen and Elfman, Bixlow and Lisanna, and Freed and Mira. Juvia dribbled tea down her chin when she heard that Mira and Freed were in fact expecting their first child, she had heard the rumor that Mira was pregnant since even Sorcerer Weekly had speculated it, but everyone always claimed the baby belonged to Laxus. There was also a rumor about Laxus and Freed having a fling, but it turns out in both the cases of Mira and Freed it stemmed from people seeing Laxus with each of them while they were attempting to keep their relationship under wraps. There was a lot about that group that was not public knowledge and Juvia felt like she didn't know her guild mates at all after learning these facts.

Laxus stood with such force that the table almost flipped, Juvia jumped from the chair and spun to see what put him under such high alert. "We've been spotted!" he shouted as he flung Juvia by her arm behind the stone wall just as a cloud of smoke engulfed the area and pedestrians took off for clean air. "Stay down for a second," he instructed as he tossed the smoke mage into a wall and shot a bolt of lightning into an alleyway resulting in a pained sound from whomever it hit. "Let's go," he spat.

A third mage popped into view seemingly from nowhere and began to pull Juvia back into the void with him before glancing at her and screaming to his comrades "It's the wrong girl!" and disappearing. Juvia fell to her back and rolled over to quickly get back to her feet. Laxus saw the first mage, who clouded the area with smoke once more, take off away from them as the man in the alley attempted to leave out the other end. Juvia jumped forth and cast her water lock on the man in the alley keeping him from escaping. Laxus tapped her shoulder and motioned to the ground, taking the hint she released the new foe from her lock. The man sputtered and gasped as he attempted to catch his breath, Laxus grabbed him up by the shirt, "Who are you and what are you after?"

"I ain't telling you anything," the man said while trying to wrench his shirt out of his strong grasp.

Laxus sent a shot of lightening into the air as a warning and leaned forward and asked again with a menacing tone. "Who are you looking for?"

Seeming to understand he was about to get a body full of lightening the man answered with a timid tone, "The fairy-demon girl, but she ain't with you." The man wiggled and stretched his toes toward the ground even though he was not going to reach as long as he was held there.

Laxus took a breath to stabilize his fury which threatened to release on the peon in his hands, "Who are you working for and why do you want her?" as he dropped one hand to his side Juvia saw sparks jumping between his fingertips.

"Ivan says the girl is carrying his grandkid and he is going to replace what was taken from him when you betrayed him by becoming a Fairy Tail member. He says the child has to be powerful with the demon and a Dreyer as parents." The man seemed to be praising Ivan for such a genius plan, completely unaware that the baby was not Laxus's.

Laxus took that as the end of the explanation and leaned closer to the man, "tell Ivan that the kid ain't mine, but it doesn't matter, it's part of Fairy Tail and this plan is not going to happen." Then sent a massive shock sending the man flying into the trash in the alleyway. He turned to Juvia and said, "Looks like it's a race back to Fairy Tail. Mira is in danger"


	5. Chapter 5

There was a desperation that hung in the air as Laxus and Juvia raced back to Fairy Tail that was made worse the moment they tried to reach the guild through lacrima. No one picked up, no one responded. They exchanged a horrified look as they fought the fears creeping into their minds. There was only so fast they could travel and even then it seemed to drag at a snail's pace. Once the train pulled near Magnolia station they hopped off the back and took off in a sprint, there was no time for manners or formalities at this point. Laxus pulled Juvia into his arms as he turned to a streak of lightening launching them toward the guild hall, there was something off and they knew it the second feet touched the floor.

It was quiet. There was no one to be seen in the guild at midday and there was a gentle hum of silence, Juvia's pulse drummed away in her ears as she scanned the room for any sign of what had happened. The tables were broken and strewn about, but that alone meant nothing, that could easily happen with a daily fight between Gray and Natsu. There were glasses and plates on the bar top and a lone shoe peeking from around the corner toward the master's office. That shoe…Mira.

Laxus stretched his arm out and held Juvia back, he put his finger to his lips to keep her silent and motioned toward the storage room, before he could make a move Juvia caught his eye and gave him a look that simply said LET ME as she transformed into her water body and flowed under the door. Laxus raised his eyebrows and realized that he would not have thought of a stealth move, he would have broken the door down and let loose on whoever was inside, now he waited impatiently unsure of what to do or how much time to give Juvia before joining her.

Juvia gathered herself back to a solid state behind a stack of Cana's barrels, she couldn't believe the situation that she had found in the storage room. A maniacal looking Ivan muttered threats to Mira while a frightened looking Cana sat in the corner, both of them shackled in heavy chains, Juvia could only assume they were suppressing their magic in some way because there was no way a bold mage like Cana would sit by and do nothing at a time like this and Mira was beyond frightening in demon form but sat sobbing and looking helpless.

"Despite your claims that the child is not of Dreyar blood makes no difference to me, I now hold the entire Fairy Tail guild in this wench's cards while I wait for your spawn to be ripe for the taking. I am sure that whatever powers the child possesses I can use them and strengthen them with lacrima implants much like I did to my son, then once matured there will be no stopping a mage as powerful as that." Ivan cackled to himself with a sick pride. "I will reclaim the Dreyar name and give it power once more, instead of the weakness Makarov and Laxus have brought upon it. There was so much potential there, and all of it wasted with their morals and rules," he spat.

Juvia glanced around from her hiding spot, there had to be something she could do from her position in the storage room, she had to be careful to not hurt Cana or Mira in the process. She started to think over the situation, obviously the only way Ivan had gotten this far with his psychotic plan was by using Cana's ability to capture people in cards, with the guild out of commission for the time being it was up to Juvia and Laxus to bring Ivan down. She then dissolved back into her water body and flowed toward the hall to let Laxus know the situation inside the room, unfortunately Ivan noticed the puddle of water flowing and began to complain of the shambles of the Fairy Tail guild hall. "Ugh, this place is falling apart, look at this mess," he grimaced as he kicked his boot in Juvia's water.

This was enough for Laxus to hear and know that he needed to get in there quickly, so his smash and attack plan was in motion. He kicked the door clean off the hinges and began his lightening dragon's roar when Juvia realized the quickest way to defeat him was in her power, although it was possibly the most dangerous way to go about it. As Laxus's attack shot toward Ivan Juvia wrapped her water around him with no time to solidify and cast a water lock, causing the electric attack to engulf him with an intensity Laxus had never seen before. In the moment that Ivan fell to the ground, wisps of smoke wafting from his hair, Juvia used what strength she could muster to pull herself into her physical form once more.

The guild members had been released from Cana's cards, and now they had no idea how badly the attack had hurt Juvia. A hysterical Mira was held if Freed's arms sobbing that the entire ordeal was her fault for not going public with her relationship with Freed earlier, and Cana sat with a guilt looming over her for being manipulated into trapping the entire guild, although no one blamed her.

Thanks to her quick actions, the water and electricity merging made it impossible for Ivan to get a single attack off and it drew all of the power to him so none of the backlash would hit Mira or Cana. However, Juvia was drained of most of her magical power and lay in the infirmary with a very concerned Makarov and Laxus standing watch. Porlyusica had made her way to the infirmary and demanded the men leave while she and Wendy did what they could to heal Juvia. The Master guided his grandson outside the back door and began to speak, "I know that this was a hard day for you and Juvia, but this is the reason that I was willing to send Juvia on the mission with you."

Laxus grew red and grunted in anger as the master quickly tried to clarify. "Not because she would get hurt, that was an unfortunate outcome to this event, but because she is always willing to do anything she can to help the guild." He watched his grandson to see if the point was sinking in, "she has a good heart and puts the wellbeing of the guild first, and when I heard of Ivan's rumored plans I knew we needed someone that could stay strong despite all the factors involved and do what needed to be done." Laxus kicked the ground and tilted his head to see Makarov, but couldn't quite formulate the words to express his thoughts, he was glad she was loyal and strong but felt distraught that she was hurt so badly. Makarov cracked a signature smile and said with a chuckle, "If you two manage to stay together just imagine how the guild would run with you as master and her by your side."

Laxus mouthed like a fish out of water for a few seconds before he asked, "could that happen? I thought you said I wasn't guild master material," the disbelief in his voice was apparent as he fidgeted where he stood.

Makarov stated with a small smile, "you aren't quite there, but you have come a long way, and with someone like Juvia with you along the way you could be ready before we know it." With that, the master walked back inside to hassle Porlyusica to take care of his precious "child" and left Laxus to contemplate what was said.

With a slow exhale Laxus let the exchange roll through his mind, with soft nods and quaint smiles he began to think about the future and the possibilities of actually settling down not only as a guild master, but with a woman like Juvia. No. Not a woman like Juvia, it had to be her if it were anyone. It was too soon to say if things would work out, but he found himself thinking that it was a nice possibility to consider. He turned to go use his meanest look to force his way back into the infirmary, he wanted to be there when Juvia woke up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well it's been a rough week for me, had dental surgery and a LOT of pain killers, so now on to attempting to finish this story. I am not good at endings, I never have been. I want to wrap this up and work on another idea, but not completely shut it down, may continue it in a way later. I need closure, and a nap.**

Before she could even open her eyes Juvia felt the stiffness in her body, her neck creaked as she shifted and preyed her lids open. Everything was so bright she was unsure for a few moments where she was as her vision came into focus. White. Why did everything seem so bright, almost sterile…no wait, it was sterile. The infirmary.

Juvia attempted to lift her head from the pillow and a blaze of pain jolted her to her very core and a gasp escaped her lips. What was that? She took a few calming breaths before she began the experiment again, pulling her weight from the bed to a sitting position she screamed as every nerve in her body felt a sharp burst of agony at the same time.

A door across the room burst open with the face of two very alarmed and pale dragon slayers, Laxus and Gajeel made their way to Juvia as quickly as they could. Tears began streaming down her face as she panted wordlessly.

"Sprinkler, please, take it easy." Gajeel attempted to calm her, "Do you remember what happened?" Again both men's eyes stared into hers seeking any sign of an answer as she looked confused.

 _What happened? What…happened? Something happened?_ The thoughts circled Juvia's mind before a memory overtook her and she inhaled sharply, the encounter with Ivan. Flashes of light seemed to flicker through her mind making pinches of discomfort at her temples. A sudden look of understanding formed on her face, with furrowed brow and pursed lips she murmured under her breath something that would have been gone unheard by anyone without sensitive hearing, but fortunately the two men in the room caught it. "Mira?"

"Mira is fine, a bit shaken up and unable to stop blaming herself, but she and the little one are perfectly fine." Laxus stated, before taking a deep inhale through his nose and slowing it out quickly. "Now, should we talk about what you did?" he didn't wait for an answer before breaking into his spiel. "You could have been killed, you damn near were, and I have been stuck with metal head for days waiting for you to wake up." He was clenching the foot board of the small bed with such force that it was splintering in his grip. "I could have handled that fight, but I can't handle you doing reckless things like that. There was so much that we could have done differently and I don't know what was going through your head but I better never catch you doing something like that again or else I … or else I …" he broke apart with a sob.

Gajeel stood behind Laxus with a look of shock on his face as he looked back and forth between his back and Juvia's now pale and expressionless face. Was there really this much between these two already? Gajeel then placed his hand on Laxus's back and began to speak slowly. "Man, she's going to be okay, you heard the old hag. Ameonna is strong and brave and shit, she's as loyal as they come. She is never one to do something purposefully stupid but she'll always do what needs to be done to save a comrade, these people are more than just guild mates, they are the first family she has ever had." There was a pregnant pause. He continued with as much experience as he had for the situation, "I get where you are coming from man, but please just understand that she can't change her ways anymore than the rest of us, we're stubborn and that's half of what makes us good mages." Gajeel shot a kind smile to Juvia and a quick smirk as he turned to Laxus, "Take it easy on her Sparky, you aren't one to talk after all."

It was then that Porlyusica and Makarov came in the room with an aura of concern under their usual veil of bickering amongst themselves. Juvia was then told to drink vial after vial of nasty viscus concoctions and began to feel like herself a bit more. They explained the treatment regimen and how they planned to rid her body of a magic residue that seemed electric in nature, and then Makarov unleashed the flow of visitors onto the room against the wishes of Laxus, but after seeing the smile on Juvia's face he reluctantly sat down and let her have the chaos in the room.

Juvia's interactions were small, mostly nods and smiles, but after a while she felt comfortable enough to start throwing a few laughs and comments into the conversations that were flowing her way from all the guild members, although everyone noticed how small and weak her voice sounded. When a bleary eyed Mira came into the room the crowd parted immediately and she practically threw herself in the chair next to Juvia and sobbed about all of the injuries being her fault, but she was quickly silenced by Juvia's small voice cutting through, "Mira, I am so glad you are safe, and the baby too, but this was not your fault and you know it. Please, stop. There's only one thing I am unhappy with right now, and that is the fact that you didn't tell me about the baby," she said with a teasing smile, "But we will talk about that later." She punctuated the conversation with a small giggle and a hug.

At some point during the commotion of every guild member shuffling in and out of the infirmary Juvia drifted off to sleep. Laxus had sat for hours as each person gave gifts and well wishes to the water mage, and her face lit up with emotion every single time. He was sure that Juvia was a one of a kind person and he understood a bit more what Gajeel had meant earlier with his comments, she did what she thought was necessary for the safety of her family, and he knew at that point that she would probably do it again if put in a similar situation. He let out a sigh and pushed his fingers through his hair, she was definitely going to keep him on his toes, but he knew for certain that he was not letting her go.

 **It's not exactly an ending...but it's over.**


End file.
